WAAAYTOOO

They must be returned.

I can just TELL that Heather is a very generous lady.  The fact that she tipped the lanyard guy $88K doesn’t surprise me AT ALL.

She probably just did that so that you would insist on being the one to go and fetch lunch from now on.  She’s smart, too !

Unfortunately, receiving a RoyalUp bid does not necessarily mean that the cabin they are offering you is available.  ....but I think making a high bid will increase your chances should one become available.  It certainly can’t hurt.  The RoyalUp program is complex and IMO, the value of the room you are currently in, is as important as the bid you make.  
 

If you are fortunate enough to win a bid for an Panoramic Suite, you would get all of the suite privileges offered on IOS.

Yippee !  So glad you were ahead of the wave and could get your flights changed before the surge.  Flying is not for the faint of heart these days.  You must be clever and proactive and it looks like you guys were both.  Safe trip.

The Grandeur Izumi has hot rocks but does not have hibachi.

Don't you secretly hate those people who are going the opposite direction to you ?  I know it's wrong....

You might also try Facebook.  Sometimes they will have cruise pages.

6 hours ago, emsff02 said:

We went to the engine control room, not the actual engine room. As cool as that would be, it’s probably a little loud in there and I can’t imagine the liability they would be taking on with that. 
We didn’t get to the recycling area either. I heard that we were supposed to go there. I wonder if it was a goof that we missed it. We did make it to the food storage area. Since it’s the last day, it’s mostly empty. When we sail star class on Oasis, I want to try to see if the genie can get us a tour on an earlier day so we can see all the provisions actually on the ship, and not in passengers stomachs.

Yes, the control room is where we went as well.

I can tell you one to avoid !  Marriott Courtyard, downtown Newark.

Hint for Oasis muster drill in the AT.  Sit as far to the left (as facing the stage) and high up in the last couple of rows.  The sun will not get to you there.  Even if you have a different staging area, go and get your seapass cards scanned and then move over to the top, far left.

I loved the AllAccess Tour.  Do they still take you to the trash and recycling area, food storage and engine room ?

YIPPEE!!!  Boarding day.  My favorite day !!  Have a GREAT time.

Yes, but unless you are at least Prime tier with Club Royale, it will cost you 5% to take a cash “draw” at the casino.  You can get money through a slot machine against your onboard account without a charge.

2 minutes ago, teddy said:

Our first cruise was a 5 night on newly amp’d Mariner.   It was definitely a “toe in the water” kind of thing. 

Our experience was great and since that cruise in Jan 2019, we’ve done three more.    Their business strategy works  

As far as Navigator and short cruises, we just booked that 4 nighter on her to bridge the gap to the two weeks on Liberty we’ve booked in 2021. 

I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this....but you are totally, completely, solidly hooked on cruising.  Full blown addict.  Unfortunately, there is no cure....not that you would want one anyway. Welcome to the club.

40 minutes ago, twangster said:

Great news!

Very close to 525 and another amenity gift.  

Some decent wine choices at this level.

...speaking of making Pinnacle...did you have anything you wanted to tell the gallery ?

20 minutes ago, twangster said:

 The vast majority of new cruise guests book their very first cruise on a short sailing to see if cruising is something they might enjoy.

Historically cruise lines tended to put older and smaller ships in the short cruise market saving their best ships for longer cruises.  

The problem with that strategy is that new cruisers testing the waters are not exposed to the best product available.  First impressions are very important so Royal bucked the industry trend and placed newly refreshed and very nice ships into the short cruise market.  They did so at the same time they invested heavily into their private island Cococay.  

The combination of a better ship experience and a better destination experience has been a huge success that has paid dividends as new to cruise guests love their first cruise experience which leads to them booking longer cruises on other ships.

While experienced cruisers would love to see these wonderful ships serving different destinations at the moment Royal is doing what is best for the business and cultivating a bigger fan base of loyal customers.  

It also helps that Royal has a glut of ships at the moment...

37 minutes ago, spursfreak21 said:

Hey all. I’m going to be on Enchantment this summer and plan on booking my next cruise on board. I’ve only cruised from Galveston and since that’s driving distance from where I live it’s easy to plan. If I’m looking to book for summer of 2021 what’s a good strategy considering most airlines don’t have their schedules released by then. Do you just book the cruise and hope you can find an reasonable accompanying flight later? 

If airfare is going to be a deal breaker for you, be sure you book a refundable cruise fare so that you can change your plans if airfare is outside of your budget.

Great news !!!!  They awarded us C&A points for the entire 8 day Anthem cruise even though it was shortened to 5 days !!  16 points for us since we were in a suite.  Only 190 to Pinnacle !!!!

11 hours ago, shaydav19 said:

Yes my moms balcony suite was sent a Royal up offer and my daughters interior room was sent an email as well. So there are some left

Unfortunately, just b/c RoyalUp offers are going out does not mean that there are staterooms in those categories available.

Congratulations and welcome to the blog.  This will be a very exciting blog for us !  Thanks for doing it.

It’s still too early to see package prices for March 2021. I’m sure they haven’t yet decided what the 2021 prices are going to be.

Symphony 21-29 August 2021

Just now, KenCP said:

@WAAAYTOOO Thank you!  I love learning something new about cruising on here. First time I have seen Side to Side.  I must of gotten the Royal Cruising bug this will be my third cruise in the 8 months, and have booked a transatlantic for next year too.

WOOHOO !!!!  So glad that you are "all in".  Welcome to the asylum

Just now, KenCP said:

I am booking a back to back but on 2 different ships.  Anyone have any experience with this? 

When i get off Empress, will the terminal be open to go into and wait until boarding time for Navigator?  I have 3 nights in Miami and will arriving a few days before the first cruise and it is actually cheaper to go on another cruise than book 3 nights in a hotel.  Why not get a few more C&A points.

 

This is called a Side to Side (S2S)(vs B2B).  We did it this past year.  We boarded Brilliance in Tampa November 25 for a 5 night Thanksgiving cruise which ended in Tampa on Nov. 30.  We drove (rental) from Tampa to Miami, spent the night in Miami and boarded Oasis on December 1 for a 7 night cruise.  A slightly modified S2S since we spent 1 night on land, but close enough.

17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

It's Oasis 03/13/2022.  That sailing is going to be epic!  We are calling it #majorstarclasstakeover. 

I thought your Star Class takeover cruise was on Allure in March 2021...